Mamata rejects PM’s offer of new statue

Mandirbazar/Diamond Harbour(WB): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offer to install a new bust of social reformer Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar at the same spot where it was vandalised saying that Bengal has the money for it.
She said that it were BJP “hooligans” who had destroyed a heritage of the state by breaking the bust in the the violence during BJP Amit Shah’s roadshow.
“Bengal does not seek alms from BJP. We have the money for a new bust of Vidyasagar, who was part of Bengal Renaissance. Don’t you (BJP) feel ashamed saying that Bengal has been reduced to a state of being a pauper”.
Banerjee was referring to a comment by Shah at a poll rally at Canning earlier this week in which he had said that under Banerjee government “sonar(golden) Bangla has become kangal (pauper) Bangla”.
Hitting back at prime minister, the fiesty TMC supremo called Modi is a liar, the “like of which was never seen in the country”.
Later speaking at another rally at Diamond Harbour, from where her nephew Abhishek Banerjee is seeking re- election, Banerjee said BJP has develeoped a sense of fear of losing the elections.
Regretting the Election Commission (EC)’s decision to declare today the last day of campaigning before Sunday’s last phase of elections, Banerjee said “I thought the EC is impartial but it seems it is sold to BJP. I am ready if I have to go to jail for saying this”.
Banerjee said in the last six phases of the general elections Modi’s votes have touched the bottom. “Modi has already lost the elections”. (PTI)